Fashion: moral fibres
If you want to make a stand against pollution and sweatshop conditions, you can now wear your heart on your sleeve. Scandinavian "sustainable" fashion is on the rise. We take a look at the latest labels
words by Trudy Follwell
When fashion bible Vogue publishes a lengthy article about ethical style, there’s no doubt that the clothing-with-a-conscience wave has at last broken over fashion’s upper echelons. It’s also a clue that ethical fashion’s latest incarnation has finally become just that – fashion – in the glamorous, desirable sense of the word. After all, the glossy fashion world has no truck with hippy-hemp garments from eco fashion’s first years.
The latest spate of eco fashion is less about that kind of earnest, holier-than-thou philosophy and more about the fresh innovation, joie-de-vivre, self-expression and sensory pleasure that is fashion at its frivolous best. Labels such as the Bono-backed EDUN range of socially conscious designer clothing and the high-octane sex appeal of Danish label, Noir, have made a radical departure from the do-goody, muesli associations of fair fashion, and yet they build on the same solid principles of ethical commerce and sustainable development. This time, though, the clothes speak for themselves. These are objects of desire that are marketed as such, without overt worthiness or clunky political messages. This is a new wave of conscious consumerism: high style, no guilt.
But why should we feel guilty about fashion in the first place? Across Europe, high-street shops are all about fast fashion: cheap interpretations of hot catwalk looks that hit the shops at warp speed. Behind this dizzying merry-go-round of cute, disposable clothes, though, are some very ugly issues. The fashion and textiles industries take a high environmental toll. They’re responsible for pollution, high water consumption, pesticides misuse, transport emissions and, when we throw away the shoddy remnants of yesterday’s look, tonnes and tonnes of textile waste slowly mouldering in landfills. These aren’t the only issues. Overcrowded sweatshops on the other side of the globe, child labour and criminally low wages are just some of the problems behind those €9 supermarket jeans that are being addressed by a growing flock of ethical and fair-trade labels.
Eco and organic fashion means clothing made with consideration for the environment – the use of non-toxic dyes, minimising ‘carbon miles’ of travel with local production, and the use of eco-friendly materials, whether it’s organic cotton grown without pesticides or new ecological fibres, such as Ingeo from renewable corn fibre or super-soft bamboo fabric.
Scandinavia, where an appreciation for design goes hand in hand with environmental consciousness, is an obvious breeding ground for eco initiatives. And sure enough, it’s home to a growing number of enlightened designers driving a more discerning form of clothing consumption. If you’re in the market for feel-good fashion, take a look at the following labels.
Noir
At the high end of the spectrum, Danish label Noir, established in 2005, embraces all that is luxurious and decadent about high fashion: sexy clothes made in shadowy, sumptuous silks, velvets and treated cottons, all beautifully cut. Noir may not shout sustainability, but many of the pieces are made from high-quality, luxurious, fair-trade Ugandan organic cotton, and a percentage of clothing sales is returned to producers in the developing world.
In addition, the man behind the label, Peter Ingwersen, has developed Illuminati II, an organisation that produces the fabrics for Noir and other luxury brands, in line with UN-approved Global Compact principles and the International Labour Organisation criteria.
If you imagine Ingwersen to be a right-on eco warrior, you may be surprised. He has a background at mass jeans retailer Levi’s, and sees Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) as a business opportunity, as riding the zeitgeist. His aim? “To make CSR sexy.” And judging by the two Noir collections that have shown on the catwalks to critical acclaim, he has achieved this.
Ingwersen even says he’s inspired by the concept of developing a modern-day ‘letter of indulgence’, the payments the Catholic church took in the Middle Ages for smoothing sinners’ paths to heaven. In other words, you may be spending a lot on the clothes (a Noir shirt costs around €220), but any guilt is assuaged by the knowledge that you’re contributing to a fairer, more sustainable world. Whether you think his motives are highly cynical or simply pragmatic, you can’t argue with the end product, or Ingwersen’s belief that shopping, and which brands you choose, is increasingly political. » www.noir-illuminati2.com
Camila Norrback
Based in Stockholm, Camilla Norrback is a Finnish designer dedicated to balancing ecological awareness with high-profile fashion designs. The result? Gorgeous, covetable, girly clothes made from eco-friendly materials. Norrback has been working with sustainability issues in sourcing fabric for her designs for about four years and has coined the phrase ‘ecoluxury’ to refer to the lush, sensuous materials she uses in her collections, which are 90% sustainable. Since creating the label, she has seen demand for conscious clothing grow and grow, “People are thinking far more about the fairness of the fashion industry,” she says. “It’s been a huge breakthrough, but for me this is not a trend but something I really believe in.”
Designs are produced in factories in nearby Estonia, providing jobs and income for the Baltic state as well as allowing frequent checks on factory conditions and reducing transport costs and environmental impacts. The Autumn/Winter 06/07 collection out now includes dresses and party tops in autumnal colours from puce to rusty brown and forest green, with pattern-knitted cardigans, and fine wool ‘paper-bag waist’ trousers and skirts. Next up is the Spring/Summer 07 collection: cute silk babydoll dresses (from around €200), organic cotton jersey tops (€50) high-waisted jeans (€140) and quirky pedal pushers (€120). » www.camillanorrback.com
Luuterlagkage
This label at the crafty, recycled end of Scandinavia’s sustainable fashion spectrum began its life when Danish art teacher and designer Stine Weirsøe discovered a rich source of fantastic, brightly coloured vintage textiles in local thrift shops. “The materials were mainly discarded ’60s and ’70s printed bedlinen, but so gorgeous they were begging to be turned into something new,” she says. So she created the quirkily named Lutterlagkage (literally ‘sheer layer-cake’), a range of unique, hand-made children’s clothes and accessories, cushions and bedlinen. The philosophy behind the range is about making each piece from good material with attention to detail and love. The designs are bold and full of life, making her webshop and her store in Jutland (Tjørnevænget 7, 7600 Struer, Denmark, +45 97 841 935) as tempting as a candy store. Items are priced from around €30. » www.lutterlagkage.dk
Arne & Carlos
Infusing the Nordic eco-fashion scene with wit, humour and quirkiness, design duo Norwegian Arne Nerjordet and Swede Carlos Zachrison use a former railway station north of Oslo as the creative base from which to produce their wonderfully eccentric collections. Armed with degrees in fashion design and political science, Arne and Carlos started the label in 2002 as a kind of experiment to see if was possible to be fashion contenders based outside a city. This country lifestyle is the background for their desire to create unique fashion that is environmentally friendly. Made from natural materials such as silk, wool and Japanese-woven organic cotton, their clothing runs the gamut from utilitarian organic denim pieces to whimsical skirts, puff-sleeved capes and jackets, and bell-sleeved dresses. Their next material adventure will be recycled organic denim. Arne & Carlos is sold mainly in the USA and in Bergen in Norway, with a small selection of previous collections available from their webshop. Prices from €160. » www.online-chic.com
eco-fashion address book
Noir
Copenhagen
Birger Christensen Østergade
38 + 45 33 115555
www.birger-christensen.com
London
Harvey Nichols
109-125 Knightsbridge
+44 (0)20 7235 5000
www.harveynichols.com
Camilla Norrback
Berlin
kati waal
Neue Hochstraße 3
+49 (0)57 1404 1369
www.katiwaal.com
Copenhagen
makezenz
Jaegersborggade 14
+45 27 120689
www.makezenz.dk
seven four seven
Gl. Kongevej 87
+45 38 888747
Stockholm
bazoueira
Bondegatan 70
+46 (0)8 644 1422
branten
Repslagargatan 11
www.branten.com
kunigunda
Skånegatan 76
+46 (0)8 743 0070
www.kunigunda.se
Åhléns city
Klarabergsgatan 50
+46 (0)8 676 6000
www.ahlens.com
Arne & Carlos
Oslo
Tonsaasen Stasjon N-2890 Etnedal (near Oslo)
+47 9326 6877
www.arne-carlos.com
Lutterlagkage
Oslo
Shabby Niels Juelsgt 51
+47 2255 7000
One stop eco shop!
Stockholm’s eco department store Ekovaruhuset was opened in 2004 by Johanna Hofring, an artist, designer and former film stylist who wanted to “change the way we produce and consume, take up fewer resources and give back more in return”. The store features high-quality, high-design clothing, made from organic materials with good production values – a concept that’s been so successful Johanna has now opened a second store in New York. One bestseller at the Stockholm shop is a range of classic, feminine clothes created by fellow Swede Anja Hynynen from organic materials (www.anjah.se). The store also stocks Camilla Norrback.
Ekovaruhuset
Österlånggatan 28, Stockholm
+46 (0)8 229 845
www.ekovaruhuset.se
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